On
June 17, workers came out to rally against cuts in Social Security
and Medicare at the office of Missouri U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill,
saying no to cuts in benefits that working people need to survive.
The
event was sponsored by Missouri Jobs with Justice, American
Federation of Government Employees, Missouri Health Care for All,
Missouri Pro-Vote, The Missouri Budget Project, and Metropolitan
Congregations United. Other organizations participating included
AFL-CIO, SEIU, MORE (Missourians for Organizing for Reform and
Empowerment), United Auto Workers, Coalition of Black Trade
Unionists, GRO ( Grassroots Organization) and the Party for Socialism
and Liberation.
People
in Missouri, like so many others around the world, have been hit with
cuts in public services. Citing a bout of bad weather that hit
Missouri, Governor Jay Nixon has cut funding to education and
financial aid for students to go to college. Missouri state
universities have been hit with 8 percent in cuts, and there have
been cuts in aid to busing for public school students.
Government
workers, other working-class professionals and community activists
came out to demand that Senator McCaskill oppose state and the
federal government cutting our benefits and services. People rely on
social security to cover the most important means of survival such as
food and rent. Medicare covers the cost of medications and general
health care for seniors.
The
rally was held in University City on the busy street of Delmar and
received many honks of support and solidarity. Liberation interviewed
some of the attendees.
A
protester named Margaret, when asked why she was here and what we can
do to protect our benefits, said: “Injustice to one is injustice
to all. We need to turn the problem [politicians] out of office and
put in good people.”
A
worker from the AFL-CIO government employees’ union said, “We need
to pressure the leaders in government and talk to them about what we
want.”
Another
protester said, “I am pretty disgusted by the GOP and them using
our benefits as a token for political pressure [for more cuts].”
Community
activists and religious leaders addressed the rally. A pastor from
the Florissant United Methodist Church shouted, “No protecting
tax cuts for the wealthy!”
People
chanted: “This is what democracy looks like” and “Stop
the cuts and save our jobs.”
How
do we stop the cuts to our benefits and education?
We
need to build a system for the people and by the people so we can
keep the gains that we fought hard for. We should not expect Senator
McCaskill to keep her word, as she is a part of the two-party system
for wealthy America. We need to keep up the fight in the streets and
build a movement that will make real change.
